Structure in a vending machine for garment hangers and similar articles



P 10., 1963 J. A. POLSTER 3, Y

STRUCTURE IN A VENDING MACHINE FOR GARMENT v HANGERS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed Nov. 21, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV EN TOR. JOHN A. POLSTEF? "M m ZA/mL A TTORNEY Sept 10, 1963 J. A. POLSTER STRUCTURE IN A VENDING MACHINE FOR GARMENT HANGERS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 21, 1961 11111 l Hl HHHHWIHHHHU HHHHHH H INV EN TOR. JOHN A. POLSTER A T'T'ORNEY United States Patent poration of Minnesota Filed Nov. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 153,796 9 Claims. (Cl. 221-431) This invention relates to a new and improved means for dispensing articles; in particular, it concerns a coin actuated vending machine having novel means for storing and dispensing clothes hangers.

With the advent of the self-service dry cleaning process, coin-operated drycleaning establishments have become familiar to practically every town and village in the country. The enthusiastic public approval accompanying their growth has created a demand for auxiliary facilities designed to complement and enhance the convenience and utility of the basic drycleaning service. Among the items used almost every time a garment is brought in for selfservice drycleaning is the conventional clothes hanger. It has been found that when clothes hangers are made available in a convenient manner and at a modest cost, the customer will prefer to buy them at the local drycleaning establishment rather than put up with the annoyance and inconvenience of providing them himself.

To provide such a facility for the self-service drycleaning business and for other places where clothes hangers are required on an individual basis, this invention has been developed.

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide novel and improved means for making clothes hangers available to customers.

Another broad object of this invention is to provide a new and improved garment hanger dispenser.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel coin-operated vending machine adapted to deliver a preselected number of clothes hangers upon the insertion of a coin into the machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a coinoperated vending machine for clothes hangers having novel and improved means for storing and discharging the hangers.

Still another object of this invention is to provide in a coin-operated clothes hanger vending machine, novel means for supporting and guiding the hangers carried therewithin.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a coin-operated clothes hanger vending machine novel means for transferring a selected quantity of hangers from the storage area to the area of delivery.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a coin-operated clothes hanger vending machine novel means for facilitating the easy removal of hangers from the machine after insertion of a coin into the machine.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel clothes hanger vending machine characterized by a hinged construction adapted to readily expose the internal components thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved coin-operated clothes hanger vending machine having an attractive external appearance, capable of being manufactured at a minimum of cost, extremely durable in construction and reliable in operation, and so constructed and arranged as to provide virtually troublefree service and loading capabilities.

These and other objects and advantages of the inven tion will appear more fully from a consideration of the following detailed specification and accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration only.

"ice

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the invention, with parts broken away, the dotted lines indicating the position of the cabinet when opened for servicing and the solid lines indicating its closed operative position;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the supporting and helical feeding means used in the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the helical feeding means used in the invention;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 2.;

FIGURE 8 is an end view showing the operation of the helical feeding means set forth in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 8 illustrating further the operation of the helical feeding means set forth in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 10 is a View taken on the line 1010 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary side view of the helical feeding means shown in FIGURE 8.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 thereof, the invention, indicated in its entirety by reference character A, includes a'rnetallic outer housing or cabinet 10 having vertical side panels 12, 14, a vertical rear panel 16 .and a front panel 18 that is recesed between the outer edges of side panels 12, 14, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Front panel 18 is made up of a lower slightly outwardly inclined wall 20* and an upper inwardly inclined wall 22. The bottom horizontal edge 24 of lower wall 20 is in spaced relation to the lower edges of side panels 12, 14 resulting in an elongated opening 26 adjacent the forward lower edge of cabinet 1%. As shown in FIGURE 2, suitable means including properly shaped and bent edges 28 are used to anchor front panel 18 to side panels 12 and I4.

Carried within cabinet 10 and extending therefrom through opening 26 is an inclined hanger receiving and discharging shelf Ell. Shelf 30, anchored'to side panels 12, 14 by means of suitably turned edges 32, is characterized by a sharply downwardly inclined relatively short rear surface 34 adjacent the inner wall of rear panel 16 that terminates in a forward surface 36 of greater length and lesser slope. Surface 36 of shelf 39 extends throngh opening 26 a distance sufiicient to perm-it a garment hanger (indicated by reference character B) to be easily removed. The outer edge of shelf 30- is equipped with a pair of spaced turned up edges 38 adapted to support hangers B as they are discharged through opening 26. Intermediate edges 38 a central recess or hand opening 4t is provided to facilitate the removal of hangers B from shelf 30.

Cabinet it) is hinged along a rear vertical axis coincident with the intersection of rear panel-16 and side panel 14 so that the unit can be easily serviced and maintained. FIGURE 4 illustrates this feature, cabinet 10 being shown in an open position in dotted lines. Hinge 42 is carried at one rear edge of cabinet 10 'Wl'lilfl at the opposite rear edge suitable locking means 44 is provided.

An important feature of this invention is the novel means employed to hold 'clothes hangers in place and discharge them automatically in response to the insertion of 'a coin into the machine. To this end, there is provided a conventional coin actuated mechanism C that is mounted on the forward surface of wall 22. Coin mechanism C is equipped with a coin slot 46 and a suitable rotatable will control Handle 43, connected to a rotatable shaft 56, which extends within cabinet lib. As shown in FIG- URE 2, the inclination of wall 22 and its perpendiculaiity with shaft 50 results in a downw ardly and rearwa'rdly inclined attitude of shaft within cabinet ltd. A fixed hollow sleeve 52 coaxial with shaft Sit extends within cabinet from wall 22 to afford support for shaft 5i) and its associated components.

A slender elongated hanger support rod 54 is rotate-bly carried at its upper end in abutting engagement with the lower end of sleeve 52 in surrounding coaxial engagement with shaft 50. A central bore 55 machined into the upper end of hanger support rod 54 accommodates the lower free end of shaft 5t causing support rod 54 to rotate therewithby virtue of a suitable connection 53, indicated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. Mounted on sleeve 52 is an annular collar 6% that is secured to sleeve 52 by means of inner radial set screws 62. Collar 6i) provides suppont for the upper end of a slender elongated hanger guide member 64 that extends parallel to and in vertically spaced relation above support rod 54. The lower end of hanger guide member 64 is provided with a double recurved :s hape enabling the end 66 thereof to be received in a lower central bore 68 drilled into the free end 7t) of support rod 54. As shown in FIGURE 6, an outer set screw 72 is threaded into collar 62* in register with .one of the inner set screws 62 to hold the upper end of hanger guide member 64 in place. An aperture 72 in collar so accomplishes this result. This construction results in a downwardly inclined hanger support rod 54 and guide means 64 adapted to supply hangers by gravity to the lower free ends of the support rod 54.

The means used to regulate and control the number of hangers that are dispensed from the lower free end of support rod 54 consists of a helical feeding member 74, more particularly shown in FIGURES 5, 6, 8, 9 and 11, respectively. Helical feeding member 74!- is a generally fiat washer-like member mounted on the lower free end of support rod '54 and rotatable therewith. As shown in FIGURE 6, helical feeding member 74 includes a thin flat generally circular body 76 mounted coaxially on the end of rod 5-4. A radial separation 75 in body 76 permits feeding member 74 to be formed axially into a helix shaped element having a helical axial spacing 7 8 between base segment 77 and lead segment 79. Feeding member 74 is bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the lower free end of rod 54. By increasing or decreasing the axial spacing 78 of feeding member 74 is helix angle (or the angle between base segment 77 and lead segment 79) may be increased or decreasedto accommodate one or more hangers between the inner contact surfaces 80, d2. of body 76.

FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate the manner in which helical feeding member 74 discharges a selected number of hangers from the lower free end of support rod 54. In FIGURE 8, feeding member 74 is shown with base segment 77 thereof in a vertical position. The upper or rear surface of feeding member 74 is accordingly in contact with the hangers as they are urged by gravity to the lower free end of rod 54. With feeding member 74 in this position, a static storage condition is obtained. By moving handle 48 and shaft Sil of coin mechanism C in a counter-clockwise direction (looking towards the front of cabinet 10, as in FIGURES 6, 8 and 9), rod 54 and feeding member 74 are caused to rotate. (Coin mechanism C is of the type that allows a quarter turn in a given direction upon the insertion of a coin; spring means urging handle 48 and shaft 50 back to their original vertical positions after each operation.) The rotation of feeding member 74 in the direction described causes lead segment 79 thereof to rise to the position shown in FIGURE 9. This results in the forcing of one or more hangers (depending upon the helical lead angle previously described) into spacing 78 of feeding member 74 and their discharge by gravity onto shelf 30. To facilitate the engagement of the hangers by lead segment 79 as rod 54 is rotated, the free end thereof is preferably milled into a rather sharp edge, as indicated by reference character 81 in FIGURE 11. When feeding member 74 is rotated back to its original vertical position (FIGURE 8) the hangers are restrained by virtue of base segment 77 from further forward movement and are kept in readiness for another operational sequence.

Further provided is an upper guide channel 84 positioned in spaced vertical relation above hanger guide member 64. Upper guide channel 84, mounted on wall 22 in an inclined attitude generally parallel to guide member or, has a downwardly open U-shaped cross section characterized by an upper leg 86 and side legs 88 which provide support in a longitudinal and lateral direction for the hook 90 of a clothes hanger, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. It can be seen that elongated guide member 64 provides further support for the clothes hangers by virtue of its engagement into the narrow elongated generally vertical spacing or neck 92 between the legs 94 of the hanger at their union with its book 90. Support rod 54 is of sufiicient diameter to take the major share of the load imposed by the hangers inasmuch as neck 92 of a hanger is of considerably less width than the diameter of rod 54. Thus guide member 64 and guide channel 84- coact with support rod 54 to provide effective and reliable support and guide means for the hangers as they are fed by gravity to the lower free end of support rod 54. Guide channel 84 also serves to restrict the upward displacement of the hangers as they contact helical feeding member 74. This prevents the removal of the hangers by jostling or otherwise disturbing cabinet it To keep the hangers on rod 54 perpendicular to rod 54- and in register with each other as they slide to their position of discharge, follower plate 63 is provided. Follower plate 63 (shown in FIGURES 2, 3, and 10) also increases the gravitational load upon the hangers and increases the efliciency of the dispensing operation, particularly "when the unit is almost empty. This feature consists of a generally oblong body of suitable material (aluminum has been found to be entirely satisfactory) having a laterally offset upper portion 67 of a width corresponding to the distance between legs 88 of guide channel 34. (See FIGURE 3.) Upper portion 67 is slidably restrained in a lateral direction within guide channel 84; a suitable aperture 69 and vertical slot 71 in communication therewith permit body 65 of follower 63 to be carried upon support rod 54 and guide member 64. By mounting follower 63 upon rod 54 and guide member 64 behind the hangers the advantages set forth are obtained.

Referring again to FIGURE 2, it can be seen that space for the discharge by gravity of the hangers from the lower free end of support rod 54 is afforded by the clearance between the lower free end of rod 54 and the rear wall 16 of cabinet 10. In addition, to direct the hangers through opening 26, a baffle d6, integral with lower wall id, is provided.

In the use and operation of the invention, loading of support rod 54 with a suitable number of hangers (practice has shown that about 72 hangers can be conveniently carried without making the cabinet too large or cumbersome) is accomplished by disengaging locking means 44 and swinging the forward body of cabinet 10 about hinge 42 into the open position indicated by the dotted lines of FIGURE 4. The hangers are positioned upon sup port rod 54 and guide member 65 with their hooks in contact with the guiding surfaces of guide channel 84. By tipping the hangers toward the upper end of support rod 54 the cabinet can be easily loaded with a minimum of time and efiort. The hinging of guide channel 84, as at 85, also facilitates ease in loading and removing hangers from cabinet 10. After loading, cabinet 10 is closed and locked. To dispense a hanger from the cabinet, a coin is placed in slot 46 and handle 48 is rotated in a clockwise direction. This action causes the lowermost hanger upon rod 54 to be fed into the axial spacing 78 in helical feeding member 74 whereupon it is gravity urged into space 85 and onto shelf 30 where it slides through opening 26 into a position for removal by the customer. After each 90 turn of handle 48 and discharge of a selected number of hangers the unit is ready for another vending sequence of operation, as described previously. The angle of inclination of support rod 54 causes the remaining hangers in cabinet to slide down against helical feeding member 74 for the next dispensing sequence of operation.

While the exact angle of inclination of support rod -54'and its associated components is by no means critical, it has been found in practice that an angle of approximately with the horizontal is sufiicient to permit the steady flow by gravity of the hangers toward the lower free end of support rod 54. This degree of angulation also permits a relatively large number of hangers to be stored in the space available. Although not shown, suitable cross bracing may be provided in cabinet 10 so long as there is no interference with the operation of the device.

While the coin-actuated mechanism C per se is not considered part of the invention, it should be understood that its use in the manner described and in combination with the other elements making up the invention is felt to be a novel contribution to the art.

Thus there has been shown and described a novel device for storing and vending clothes hangers and similar articles. By providing a controllable dispensing means at the lower end of an inclined support rod, it has been possible to achieve a vending machine characterized by ruggedness, efiiciency, and reliability. It is, of course, possible to discharge one, two, or more hangers for each insertion of a coin into the machine by altering the lead of the helix angle of feeding member 74, the exact quan tity being discharged at a given turn of handle 48 depending upon the requirements of a particular installation.

The invention has been suificiently tested and found to be entirely satisfactory. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may be modified by.

many substitutions and equivalents and that this disclosure is intended to be illustrative only. I, therefore, intend to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for garment hangers including a cabinet, said cabinet consisting of a rear wall, opposed side panels, and a front wall, said side panels and said front wall being hinged to an edge of said rear wall, said cabinet having a garment hanger discharging opening adjacent the lower edge of said front panel, a rotatable garment hanger support rod within said cabinet inclined downwardly and rearwardly from said front wall, the lower end of said support rod being in spaced relation to the rear wall of said cabinet, a garment hanger delivery shelf positioned in said cabinet below said support rod and extending through the opening in said cabinet, an upper guide channel within said cabinet parallel to and above said support rod adapted to guide the hook of the hangers carried by said support rod, a slender elongated lower guide member positioned parallel to and intermediate the said support rod and said guide channel adapted to slidably engage the neck of the hangers carried on said support rod, said guide channel and said lower guide memher terminating at their lower ends in spaced relation to the rear wall of said cabinet and helical feeding means carried on the lower free end of said support rod adapted to release a pre-selected quantity of hangers from said support rod onto said shelf upon the rotation of said support rod.

2. The dispenser set forth in claim 1 wherein coinoperated means are provided to intermittently engage and rotate said supporting rod.

3. In a vending machine for garment hangers and similar articles, a dispensing cabinet, a rotatable downwardly and rearwardly inclined article support and release rod carried within said cabinet, at least two article guide members carried within said cabinet in spaced parallel relation to each other and to said article support and release rod, the lower end of said guide members and said article support and release rod being in spaced relation to the rear of said cabinet defining therewith a generally vertical article discharge passageway, and helical feeding means secured to the lower end of said article support and release rod adapted to release a preselected number of articles from said rod upon the rotation thereof.

4. The structure described in claim 3 wherein said helical feeding means has a lead dimension corresponding to the number of articles to be released for each rotational movement of said article support and release rod.

- mounted on the lower free end of said article support and release rod and rotatable therewith, said member having an axially and radially arranged separation therein extending from said article support and release rod to the outer periphery thereof, the separation in said member allowing the passage therethrough of the articles carried on said article support and release rod.

9. In a vending machine for garment hangers and similar articles, a cabinet having an article discharge opening therein, a rotatable downwardly and rcanwardly inclined article support and release rod carried within said cabinet, at least two article guide members carried within said cabinet in spaced parallel relation to each other and to said article support and release rod, the lower end of said guide members and said article support and release rod being in spaced relation to the rear of said cabinet defining therewith a generally vertical article discharge passageway, shelf means between the said passageway and the article discharge passageway in said cabinet, and helical feeding means secured to the lower end of said article support and release rod adapted to release a preselected number of articles from said rod upon the rotation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,072,051 Staziak Sept. 2, 1913 1,185,356 Weaver May 30,1916 1,546,077 Hunter et a1 July 14, 1925 2,273,618 Breyley Feb. 17, 1942 2,930,510 Pallissard Mar. 29, 1960 

1. A DISPENSER FOR GARMENT HANGERS INCLUDING A CABINET, SAID CABINET CONSISTING OF A REAR WALL, OPPOSED SIDE PANELS, AND A FRONT WALL, SAID SIDE PANELS AND SAID FRONT WALL BEING HINGED TO AN EDGE OF SAID REAR WALL, SAID CABINET HAVING A GARMENT HANGER DISCHARGING OPENING ADJACENT THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID FRONT PANEL, A ROTATABLE GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT ROD WITHIN SAID CABINET INCLINED DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM SAID FRONT WALL, THE LOWER END OF SAID SUPPORT ROD BEING IN SPACED RELATION TO THE REAR WALL OF SAID CABINET, A GARMENT HANGER DELIVERY SHELF POSITIONED IN SAID CABINET BELOW SAID SUPPORT ROD AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE OPENING IN SAID CABINET, AN UPPER GUIDE CHANNEL WITHIN SAID CABINET PARALLEL TO AND ABOVE SAID SUPPORT ROD ADAPTED TO GUIDE THE HOOK OF THE HANGERS CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORT ROD, A SLENDER ELONGATED LOWER GUIDE MEMBER POSITIONED PARALLEL TO AND INTERMEDIATE THE SAID SUPPORT ROD AND SAID GUIDE CHANNEL ADAPTED TO SLIDABLY ENGAGE THE NECK OF THE HANGERS CARRIED ON SAID SUPPORT ROD, SAID GUIDE CHANNEL AND SAID LOWER GUIDE MEMBER TERMINATING AT THEIR LOWER ENDS IN SPACED RELATION TO THE REAR WALL OF SAID CABINET AND HELICAL FEEDING MEANS CARRIED ON THE LOWER FREE END OF SAID SUPPORT ROD ADAPTED TO RELEASE A PRE-SELECTED QUANTITY OF HANGERS FROM SAID SUPPORT ROD ONTO SAID SIDE UPON THE ROTATION OF SAID SUPPORT ROD. 